>> eve of destruction. let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm michael smerconish. leading off tonight, hope or hopeless? despite a litany of challenges facing republicans, party leaders put on a brave face at this week's summer meetings in boston. their mission is a clear one, rally the party around the theme that worked well for democrats in 2008. that would be hope. >> what we have to do in a sense is be a party of optimism and hope. part of what we have to do in the era of obama's disaster is we have to get beyond being anti-obama and we have to reconvince people you can have hope in america. that we can have a better future. >> hope for republicans nationally is what the party cling to because at the moment it's all they've got. that much was evident in you

read politico this morning which reported that the republican establishment sees the party on the national level as veering toward destruction. they report that an "it's almost impossible to find an establishment republican in town who's not down right more rose about the 2013 that has been and is about to be. they see this year as a disaster in the making even if most elected republicans don't know the it or admit it, the party's wounds are many and they're all self-inflicked. poe at this time cosays threats of government shutdown and debt default have ended all hopes of proving that republicans are not insane when it comes to governing. thanks to out of mainstream reactions on issues like immigration, voting rights, marriage equality and women's rights, republicans have done an excellent job of alienating an array of voting blocs they promised to court after the 2012 elections. hispanics, blacks, gays and women. and thanks to hyper partisan districts, republicans have less to fear locally especially when it comes to their control of the

house. nationally, it's a different story. jonathan allen is the senior washington correspondent with politico. sam stein is an msnbc contributor with huffington post. jonathan, that piece created quite a buzz today. i said to myself what's on the verge of extinction really is the establishment of the republican party. >> that's right, michael. my colleagues jim vandehei and mike allen did a very good job i think today of reporting the really as they put it more rose mood among the establishment in washington. you've got a couple of factors here. number one, the social issue set in which the republican party has essentially alienated a lot of voters whether you're talking about hispanics, black voters, female voters and on the sort of basic issues of governance, a party is threatening to shut down the government so that it can defund obama care. the establishment doesn't like that. certainly a lot of voices in the party want to see it or just shut down the government for the purpose of shutting down on the

government or let the nation default on its debt. any of those outcomes are horror for the model that your traditional republicans want to see into this might not be evidence in 2014 because all politics are local and in those hyper partisan districts, the republicans could have a very good year and give them a false sense of bravado in 2014. >> these are the dueling tensions inside the republican party. you have a bunch of house republicans very attuned to the political whims of their own districts and whoes whims are very much much different than the party probably needs on the national level. what might be a good strategy for 2014 or status quo strategy could end up blowing in the republican party's face in 20 16. >> chris christie had the strong words for his colleagues yesterday at the summer meeting in boston. in direct reference to louisiana's he governor bobby jindal who called the party stupid, he said i am not going to you ca you the stupid party.

election is over and we need to move on. he said see is, i'm in this business to win. i don't know why you're in it. for our ideas to matter, we have to win because if we don't win, we don't governor. if we don't governor, all we do is shout into the wind. jonathan, he's absolutely right. this has gotten lost over the last several years i think on both sides of the aisle. the sole purpose of political parties is to deliver election victories -- not to be ideological vessels. >> he's saying look, go have an argument, have an ideological debate. write about it in journals, talk about it in schools. but let's put together a winning coalition to put republicans back in power so they can implement some of the policies they want to. this is very much an echo of what bill clinton was saying to the democrats in the early 1990s after a couple of decades of liberal excess. it's something that was successful for him and hey, if you're chris christie, this is your only option is to make the argument that you're best suited to win and that it's about

winning, not about ideology. chris christie is not where the rest of the republican party is idea logically. >> i think he's trying to define the race already in these terms. the question is, is that a message that will get outside that room of national committee people because his chief impediment to capturing the gop nomination is the nature of the primary process. we all know the type of candidates nominated these dayses in gop primaries. >> the issue is i an bit more complex than christie gives it credit for. idea logically, in many respects the republican party has one. they turned a debate over how to stimulate the economy into what the proper role of deficit reduction would be. the problem with the republican party has faced is when do you claim victory. so back in 2011, there was a broad deficit and debt reduction plan presented too them that they could have said yes to and claimed victory. they couldn't get to the yes. i think what will chris christie misses is that in many respects, the conversation has changed because of the 2010 elections.

it's just the republican party is not willing to claim victory yet. >> let me give you an illustration what i'm talking about because it's from the garden state. there seems to be a lack of quality control in the republican party when it comes to candidates. just look at new jersey. a state that republicans have eyed for a long time. this is the candidate than primary voters have chosen to run against cory booker in the state's special election for senate. his name is steve lonegan. he opposes marriage equality. if you couldn't tell from that will photograph we just showed, he's against gun control. he's anti-abortion even in cases of rape and incest. he wants to dismantle the irs. a hard liner on immigration and wants to make glisht official language and rejeks climate change. a recent buzz feed of lonegan summarized him like this, he called social security a ponzi scheme, advocates for the des construction of medicare and medicaid, denounces spanish ad as -- and describes cory booker

as a socialist who just can't wait to pull the race card. many people may agree with those positions but they're unlikely to get you elected in very blue new jersey. so sam, how can the republican party take control of this primary process and stop the christine o'donnells and the akins and the murdochs and the lonegans from blowing otherwise respectable opportunities? is. >> first of all, that photo wasn't subtle as you pointed out surrounded by guns. secondly, this is the sort of existential for people working on the senate race. how do you weigh in on primaries in a way that gets you electable candidates. and the irony here is the more the national party weighs in to push more electable candidates, the more likely it will be used against them. ta party will say look, if we just run a pure conservative, we'll win. well, that doesn't always work. there is an argument to be made that the republican party could have very close if not a majority in the senate right now

the had they just ran more electable candidates. >> jonathan, i couldn't help but think of the race going on in his home state when i read what christie had said because the lonegan race is exhibit a of a race they're not going to win. i don't know how credible of a candidate they could have fielded against cory booker anyway. christie didn't want his name appearing on the same lalt as booker. >> you may be able to see behind me here in washington, cory booker scouting out property either an apartment or perhaps a house to live in for the next six years. look, chris christie doesn't want to be involved in these kind of fights either at the national level or at the state level in terms of appearing at the same time with some of the republican candidates that might push him to the right and certainly could have been difficult for him to take on cory booker in the state. but he's got much bigger ambitions and certainly much bigger possibility or prospect. i don't think cory booker going

from newark mayor was going to be able to run for president whereas chris christie already has that platform where he could do that. >> reince priebus the rnc chair has acknowledged the schism in the party identity. this is priebus speaking to crowds in boston at the rnc's summer meeting. >> what does it mean to be a republican? not just i'm not a republican, i'm a conservative. i'm a lirtarian. i'm not, i'm not. except here's the problem. the word under your name on the ballot says republican. and it's about time we as a party started fighting for what the meaning of that word is. and we're going to do it. >> sam, does that square with chris christie saying wait a minute, the role of a party is to win? >> how do you do both? >> you got to find a certain party platform that works. i don't think at this juncture the republican party has done that. certainly newt gingrich when he suggested they put forward something proactive on health care was suggestive they needed

to have a hopeful platform. if you look back from the election to today, the republican party and the gop has done everything to alienate the groups they most need to court. they've done voter suppression laws in many states, balked comprehensive immigration reform to alienate hispanic voters. now they're canceling debates both on cnn and nbc and telemundo and cnn espanol. if you're going to build a party and going to build a brand, they're doing it wrong. you got to be more inclusive and have a platform that draws people in. i've yet to see thing center the the republican party that does any of that. >> sam stein, jonathan allen, thank you. coming up, the republican national committee votes nbc and cnn out of the the 2016 debates because of their hillary clinton projects. it turns out the rnc has never approved primary debates so it's promising not to do something it doesn't do anyway?

also, we all saw the picture of the rowio clown with an obama mask. disrespectle? racist, not according to a lot of people on the right who say democrats can't take a joke. and there certainly are enough bob filner accusers to choose from. and we've got the latest. a 67-year-old great grandmother here tonight to tell us what happened between her and the san diego mayor. and finally, it turns out, yes, all you alien conspiracy theorists, the government admits there is, after all, an area 51. and no, it's not what you think. this is "hardball," the place for politics. with the spark miles card from capital one, bjorn earns unlimited rewards for his small business. take these bags to room 12 please. [ garth ] bjorn's small business earns double miles on every purchase every day. produce delivery. [ bjorn ] just put it on my spark card. [ garth ] why settle for less? ahh, oh! [ garth ] great businesses deserve unlimited rewards. here's your wake up call. [ male announcer ] get the spark business card from capital one and earn unlimited rewards. choose double miles or 2% cash back on every purchase every day. what's in your wallet?

[ crows ] now where's the snooze button? because of a migraine. so they trust excedrin migraine to relieve pain fast. plus sensitivity to light, sound, even nausea. and it's #1 neurologist recommended. migraines are where excedrin excels. it's back to school time. and excedrin wants to make sure your child's school is equipped to help your child excel. purchase excedrin for a chance to win one of 5 $10,000 donations to your child's school. go to excedrin's facebook page to enter. hillary clinton's getting a little love from the bush family. yesterday, barbara bush, the daughter of former president george w. bush said she hopes hillary runs for president in 2016. the younger bush says the former secretary of state is "unbelievably accomplished, but she's not sure she would vote for her. backing in 2007, george w. bush

himself singled out hillary clinton as the democratic candidate he liked best saying "i think she's a very formidable candidate and one of the interesting things that she brings is she's been under pressure. she understands the colleague lights. at the same time, bush also said he thought the gop nominee who turned out to be john mccain would beat clinton. we'll be right back. all your important legal matters in just minutes. protect your family... and launch your dreams. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side.

it's time that we do what's right for our party and our candidates and by the way, it's the right thing to do for our voters. they're not going to get a real debate of substance if it's run by a network who wants to help out hillary clinton. we're done putting up with this nonsense. there are plenty of other news outlets. we'll still reach voters. maybe more voters but cnn and nbc anchors will just have to watch on their competitors' networks. >> welcome back to "hardball." that was reince priebus earlier

today at the summer meeting in boston. delivering a spirited indictment on the liberal bias he says the media shows his republican donors and friends. today, the republican national committee unanimously passed a resolution preventing itself from partnering with nbc or cnn for debates if the networks move forward with planned hillary clinton productions ahead of what they say is a likely 2016 clinton presidential run. but is this a smart move by priebus and the rnc? after all, hardly none of the tough questions in 2012 came from cnn or nbc and beyond that, many of the candidates' worst performances like rick perry and his oops moment were self inflicted wounds. it would be a stretch to blame cnbc's john harwood for having asked that question. joining me is abby huntsman, co-host of the cycle and mo elithy. according to the autopsy report

which conducted a thorough review of the party's performance and problems, the report said this. the republican party needs to stop talking to itself. we've become expert in how to provide ideological reinforcement to like-minded people but devastatingly, we've lost the ability to be persuasive with or welcoming to those who do not agree with us on every issue. mo, i've got to believe you would love it 239 debates in 2016 featured limbaugh, beck and hannity as the sole interrogators. >> look, this is -- i don't understand what they're doing strategically, but man am i glad they're doing it. this is a party that has pledged and said that it needs to expandity reach. but if you look at every single group that they -- that they lost so badly with in 2012, they keep poking them in the eye. and i think what's really going on here, i'm not inside reince

priebus's head, but i think what's going on here is two things. one, this is great for their i think short-term fund-raising. there's a few things thank conservative activists like more than to beat up on the liberal media. >> plays well for the base. >> but it also limits debates. and by putting them on with rush limbaugh and sean hannity as the hosts, i actually think what they're doing is creating more opportunity for them to highlight some of the more fringe positions of the party which is not really what they ought to be doing. >> i thought that the autopsy made a lot of sense and one of the things, i'm paraphrasing, one of the things said we need to get out of the echo chamber. i've said this before, on wednesday morning after the election there were folks mystified by how obama won because they were solely dependent on drudge, talk rao and fox news. it keems like in contrast to the

autopsy finding from the rnc, they're going right back into that direction. >> that's the answer. let's get rush and sawn hannity to monitor debates. in all honesty, i kind of want that to happen. for many republicans out there that want the party to change to move forward in a different direction, it has to hit rock bottom first. maybe having sean hannity and rush host a debate, we've hit rock bottom and we would be able to be move forward. the rnc doesn't have the authority to approve or to fund the debate. so they can say that all they want. they can encourage candidates, obviously, to boycott the debates, which would be effective, but you know, i keep saying look, if it is hillary clinton's mini series that's going to put her over the edge in 2016, we really have no business being in the race it begin with. they have their annual summer meeting. how much time have they wasted talking about this when we have bigger fish to fry. why are we not focusing on our

message? why don't we have the courage to talk about things we need to do to move forward as chris christie said yesterday. >> let me give everyone a reminder, last siblg republican candidates faced tough questions from moderators of all networks. here's one exchange between mitt romney and abc's george stephanopoulos. >> governor romney, do you believe that states have the right to ban could traception or is that trumped by a constitutional right to privacy? >> george, this is an unusual topic that you raise. >> you went to harvard law school you know very well. >> has the supreme court decided that states do not have the right to the provide contraception? >> yes, they have, 1965, griswold v connecticut. you've given two answers to the question. do you believe the supreme court should overturn it or not. >> do i believe the supreme court should. >> sometimes the wounds were self-inflicted. >> and i will tell you, it's

three agencies of government when i get there that are gone. commerce, education, and the -- what's the third one there? let's see. >> five. >> so commerce, education and the -- >> epa? >> there you go. >> let's talk. >> seriously? is epa the one you were talking about? >> no, sir. we were talking about the agencies of government. epa needs to be rebuilt. no doubt about that. >> you can't name the third one? >> the third agency of government i would do away with the education, the -- commerce, and let's see. i can't, the third one i can't. sorry. oops. >> abby, for reasons i think are aub, you paid particularly close attention to all those debates back in that psych. what i'm thering is some of the high points for candidates came

when they faced tough questions. i remember specifically when john king at the outset of one particular debate hammered newt gingrich and gingrich had a great response that brought the house down. what would have happened to gingrich at that moment had king not provided him that opportunity? >> i also think what would have happened to rick perry had that moment not happened. my stomach still cringes. >> what would have happened to us as voters. >> my symptom make still cringes when i watch some of those clips. i just remember going to those debates with my dad. as you know, there was not a lot of substance at those debates. it was really a battle between who could be the most conservative, who could throw out the most red meat. i remember my dad looking at me always on the end with his hands up like i don't know what to do. you get 30 seconded to talk about something substantial. so i understand reince priebus's point. let's have more control over the debates and less of those debates. it makes us only look bad.

let's not use hillary clinton as our way to fight this battle. >> and mo, you paid close attention, as well that some of the worst moments for the gop in that debate cycle came from audience reaction. and none of what we're addressing right now reins in that bad behavior. i'm making specific reference to when there was a soldier who was booed for having been gay and posing a question. >> yeah, and i got to believe that having the hannitys and limbaughs of the world isn't going to do anything to stem that. look, we all know what the republicans need to do. i hope they don't do it, but we all know what they need to do, they need to expand outreach and try to speak to more people and stop being so hostile. they've got policies and agenda that are openly hostile to huge segments of the population. rather than try to limit the number of debates and call that you will outreach, this he need to actually kind you have change their message and their agenda and their policies to make them a little bit more inclusive. instead what people heard today

was we're not going to talk to you because we don't like what you're doing. and that i don't think is what will they ought to be doing. >> missouri, thank you. abby huntsman, good to see you. up next, the cia acknowledges a secret they kept for decades about area 51 and ufos. you can listen to my rao program weekday mornings at 9:00 a.m. on sirius xm's potus channel 124. this is "hardball." the place for politics. mayo? corn dogs? you are so outta here! aah! [ female announcer ] the complete balanced nutrition of great-tasting ensure. 24 vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and 9 grams of protein. [ bottle ] ensure®. nutrition in charge™. [ chainsaw buzzing ] humans. sometimes, life trips us up. sometimes, we trip ourselves up. and although the mistakes may seem to just keep coming at you, so do the solutions.

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mayo? corn dogs? you are so outta here! aah! [ female announcer ] the complete balanced nutrition of great-tasting ensure. 24 vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and 9 grams of protein. [ bottle ] ensure®. nutrition in charge™. back to "hardball." time for the sideshow". the secret is out. a newly declassified document on the cia's history has publicly revealed the story behind the infamous nevada test site known as area 51. no, it doesn't mention roswell or the existence of extra terrestrial life but does

confirm the location has been use the since the 1950s to test and develop the military's most discreet aerial hardware including the u-2 spy plane and the a-12 oxcart. next up, the obama administration has been installing solar panels on the roof of the white house this week making good on a 2010 promise to make at building more energy independent. this marks the second time that the white house has been retrofit with the energy saving devices. the first was 34 years ago when under then president jimmy carter who hoped to inspire an alternative energy revolution during the oil embargo of the '70s, his message fell upon deaf ears and the solar panels were removed just seven years later by the reagan administration in 19 6. here was president carter describing his reaction to that from the documentary "a road not taken." >> i was disappointed, swhag anging

a and -- somewhat angry when i saw that president reagan had taken this symbolic step of retreating from the commitment to renewable energy. >> but the story didn't end there. the film follows those very solar panels 32 in all after they were salvaged by unitiy college in maine where they helped power the school cafeteria and when they reached the end of their useful life there, some of them went on a road trip with the filmmakers to atlanta. the filmmakers and used them to heat it the water in their bathtub before donating them to the carter presidential library. and finally, jennifer garner has hinted to "allure" magazine that her husband again affleck may be interested in seeking elective office. the argo star is no stranger to politics campaigning for john kerry back in 2004. but he's always been coy when it comes to his own political ambitions. listen to what he had to say about that back in 2004 at the democratic national convention.

>> as a person, i'm much more interested in what an actor has to say about something substantial and important than who they're dating or what clothes they're wearing or some other as nine insignificant aspect of their life. >> have you ever thought of crossing the line yourself? >> i'd like to -- i'd like your job, frankly. so i'm waiting for you to move on. >> waiting for me. thank you very much, ben. now i'll be nice to you. >> sorry, ben, i don't think anybody's going to replace chris anytime soon. up next, a lot of big names on the right are rushing to the defense of that rodeo clown, the one who wore an obama mask at the missouri state fair. you're watching "hardball," the place for politics. (announcer) at scottrade, our clients trade and invest

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i'm julia boorstin with your cnbc mark wrap. stocks ended a tough week on a

down note today. the dow jones industrials is slipping to 30 points finishing up its worst week of 2013. the s&p 500 losing 5 and the nasdaq giving up 3 points. ten-year treasury bonds jumped to 2.73% a high since july of 2011 on speculation the fed will begin taper agits monthly bond purchases. consumer confidence fell unexpectedly this month from its high in july. that's it from cnbc, first in business worldwide. now back to "hardball." welcome back to "hardball." earlier this week, we showed you some shocking video from the missouri state fair. a clown dressed in an obama mask got jeered by the crowd as the rodeo announcer gleefully taunted, we're going to stomp obama now. >> let me tell these people who

we got helping, obama is going to have to just stay there. obama, watch out for those bulls. >> i know i'm a clown. he just running around acting like one, doesn't note he is one. >> obama, are they're coming for you this time. whoo. >> as soon as this fool comes out, don't you move. he's going to get you, get you, get you. >> one person in the crowd compared it to an effigy at a klan rally. there was bipartisan condemnation and the clown who talked about getting obama wasser. thely banned by fair officials. while both those things are to be expected given the offensive display, what you might be surprised by is the strong reaction from the right. sawn hannity, rush limbaugh and glenn beck rallied to his defense. a support group on facebook popped up and some members of congress chimed in. steve stockman release aid statement saying "liberals want

to the crush dissent by isolating and polarizing anyone who questions obama even if it's a clown with a harmless gag, the idea to create a state of fear and make people afraid to trivialize obama. no one tried to destroy the clown who wore a george herbert walker bush match. steve king tweeted mr. president, invite the rodeo clown to the white house for a beer summit. take the temperature down. have a laugh. relax. it's not about race. jonathan capehart is an msnpc political analyst and opinion writer at "the washington post." philip rutger is white house correspondent for the post. he just returned from the missouri state fair. philip, i know you were there on wednesday. what did you find? >> you know, i went there hoping to kind of hear what people thought about what happened at the fair that the rodeo. i wasn't sure what i would find. i ended up talking to about a dozen people there at the fair. all of them were in agreement they felt the media had overblown this. they didn't see anything racist

or disrespectful about the act at the rodeo. i started talking to some of these people and they really had very strong feelings about president obama. >> by way of example, you interviewed one farmer who said i've got no respect for him. he's an destroyed this country. how much freedom have we lost? i don't care whether it's a black man in office but we have to have a "true blood"ed american. i think he's muslim and trying to destroy the country, catering to the muslim brotherhood in egypt and went on to tell you he goes to a website that compares michelle obama 0 to a monkey. he said they have the same expression. the media makes it all hate. i don't hate a black person. it's just funny. there are probably 25 internet you know, falsehoods in that one quote alone. >> the yeah. it was really startling to hear him say all of that. he really believes that. not only does he believe those falsehoods about the president but doesn't see anything racist in what he's saying or anything even disrespectful or inappropriate about what he feels about the president.

>> jonathan, it's august. it's end of summer. i could go to many a boardwalk tonight i think and buy an obama mask. it's not the mask itself that makes this racially tinged. am i right? >> right. it's not the mask. it's what's being said and it's how the mask is being used. i mean, the guy was wearing a mask. the clown was wearing a mask. but the clown was also being propped up or looked like he had april broomstick or broom handle i think he was leaning on it or it was coming from behind him. you put all thatting the together, what was being said, how the president' portrayed, you do have a racially tinged moment there, and look, it's not just me and other people saying other african-americans saying it was racially tinged. the person who took the video is a white man who has been on our air and who said i think you said in the intro, he felt like

he was at a klan rally. when someone who is sitting there feels so strongly about in that he took out his camera phone to videotape it to make sure that he had evidence that this happened and to share it with the world, then you know you have a problem. philip, i want to commend you on a fantastic story because i think sometimes when people hear charges of racism or the president being viewed in a racist light, there are a lot of people particularly on the right who dismiss it saying you're playing the race card just by bringing it up. but that quote that michael read just puts out there for all to see just how problematic this is. >> there's an element of in that swayed me because when i heard the story that there was someone working in this capacity wearing an obama mask, that didn't sound inherently racist to me. but philip, your coverage does discuss this. the guy who shot the video says that someone came out and played with the lips of the clown.

right? >> that's right. and you know, this portion was not on the piece of video that he had. but he said that this happened during the rodeo and he saw that as a clearly kind i have plainly racist act. >> all right. rush limbaugh maybe no surprise threw his support behind the clown and blamed president obama for diminishing the office by going on the "tonight show" and, of course, he bashed the so-called liberal media response to what had happened. >> this is no different than those countries reacting freakishly when there were cartoons of the prophet muhammad. that is exactly what this is. you know, you people on the left, who the hell do you think you are? you can't laugh. you can't take a joke. you can't take a punch. you can't take anything. one little thing that you don't like and this clown can never work. >> jonathan, i used the reference to "the tonight show" because he also talked about the president going on the "tonight show." what distinguishes the rodeo incident from a late night

comedian poking fun at the president? >> yes, it's all about context here. rush limbaugh rails against the liberal media, rails against the president all the time and even rails against me from time to time. if i say something that offends him which is usually every time. the issue here is that rush limbaugh and sean hannity and glenn beck so have the right and the republican party under its spell, that anytime they will saw something, you know, they hurl down thunder bolts against something, the rest of the party it either rallies conservatives to their side and makes people feel like what they feel and what they think is appropriate, but it also makes people in the building behind me when they're here cower in fear so that when you need leaders to step up and say what has happened is wrong, what has happened should not happen again, they don't say anything.

>> well, meanwhile you mentioned glenn beck. he stood up for the brave artistry of rodeo clowns everywhere. watch. >> it shows how afraid this administration is. they are afraid literally of a rodeo clown. they can't afford to have anybody critical of the president. you know, people burn books and we had the mccarthy era where you were silenced because you were a communist. i got news for you, you may not see rodeo clowns as art or entertainment, but it is. this is an art just. a very brave artist, believe it or not. they could get mauled by a bull at any time. >> jonathan, i didn't like the disrespect shown to george w. bush. i thought all that sickness and hatred was beneath the dignity of the office at a minimum. i feel the same way about this. >> yeah, i mean, look, again, it's about the context. and when you make fun of george bush, when people made fun of george bush, it was about his

intelligence or what have you. when you make fun of president obama, and sure we're not saying that no one can criticize the president or that every criticism against the president is racist or racial. but when you do what the rodeo clown did and what they did at that event, there's a whole other historical context that must be paid attention to. and that must be taken into account. >> i'll make it easy for you. if you play with the lips and put a broom up its butt, you got a problem. >> exactly. >> thank you. up next, another woman has accused san diego's mayor of unwanted sexual advances. the 16th woman to do so and she joins us next. this is "hardball," the place for politics. american express credit card, every purchase earns you 2% cash back, which is deposited in your fidelity account. is that it? actually... there's no annual fee and no limits on rewards. and with the fidelity cash management account debit card, you get reimbursed

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come in and try and kiss me on the lips and i'd have to squirm to get away. >> he got very chose to me. and he ran his finger up my cheek like this. and he whispered to me, do you have a man in your life? >> i was placed in the filner head lock and moved around as a rag daal while he whispered sexual comments in my ear. >> we're back. those are just some of the 16 women who have accused san diego mayor bob filner of inappropriate contact and sexual harassment. calls for him to step down from loath and national leaders continue. yesterday, house democratic leader nancy pelosi tweeted mayor filner is out of rehab. he should be out of the mayor's office. should not subject san diegoians to pain and expense of a recall. california senator barbara boxer made a personal appeal to the mayor in an open letter that reads in part "we've known each other for a long time. so i'm speaking to you now on a personal and professional level and asking you to step down as mayor and get the help you need

as a private citizen." the latest woman to come forward, peggy shannon, a great grandmother who works at the senior citizens service desk at the san diego city hall accused of mayor filner of sexual this. joins me with her attorney gloria allred. give us the context in which the mayor told you he could, quote unquote, go eight hours? >> well, i came up to the desk and leaned over the desk and took my hands and says, i think i could go eight hours. and i looked at him and said, are you kidding? and he says no. i'm sure i can go eight hours. i was appalled. it was very shocking to me that will he would think that he could say something like that to me. >> and there have been bad behavior on his part prior to this? >> correct he had. >> i'm sorry. >> he had come up to me many

times and taken my hand and asked when we could get together on the weekend, whether saturday or sunday and this went on for months. >> after the eight-hour comment, i know that you told your supervisor and a co-worker what he had had done, what he had s. was there any response from them? did the system begin at least to work when you made the report? >> well, they were kind of surprised that he had said that. i didn't go on about how many times he had done it until a little while later. >> as far as you knew, were other women in the loop? was it commonly known this guy is handsy or worse? >> no. at that time i didn't know anything about it. i didn't know that there were other women that had gone through what i was going through. >> and why -- for those who would want to know, well, why didn't you immediately come forward or make a bigger deal of it, what was going through your mind? >> i was kind of humiliated.

and i have to say that i -- i didn't know what to do. i really didn't know what to do. i just wanted to come to work and do my job. and it took a while until these other women came forward for me to finally come for wand and validate what they were saying. >> gloria allred, this guy would seem to be a serial offender at this point. i'm almost losing track of the number of individuals who have come forward. how far will this go? >> well, we have also filed the only sexual harassment lawsuit, michael, against mayor filner. now, on behalf of our client, maureen mccormick jackson who was the first to come forward and publicly identify herself as a victim of mayor filner. since then that has inspired others who allege they are victims of mayor filner to also come forward with the total today up to 15, maybe even 16, who publicly come forward.

and that deputy include those who have contacted me but who for whatever reason have decided not to come forward, or at least not to come forward yet. so the point is that mayor filner appears to think that women are fair game. it's particularly serious where the women are employees in city hall, because as to peggy shannon who i might add i give so much credit to because she has demonstrated enormous courage in coming forward, that she also alleges that the mayor as she was coming out of city hall one day and he was coming in grabbed her, hugged her and kissed her right on the lips. now, women who will work and all women are entitled to respect. they're entitled to dignity. they're not there to be the mayor's play things. and the city of san diego, the city hall of san diego should not be used as the mayor's sexual playground to have women any time he wants do whatever he wants. >> mrs. shannon, what did you do when he kissed you on the lips?

>> i walked away from him. i didn't say anything. i was in shock. i just went and got in my car and went home and cried for two hours. >> and michael, he says that he can go eight hours. we just want him to go. we don't care how long he can go. he we just want him to go, as soon as possible. and that means resigning as mayor of san diego. he is a disgrace and he has brought shame upon this city hall and the people of san diego. >> you know, i'm not a shrink, obviously. i'm not qualified to say this. but there is a part of me that wonders if he is at home watching "hardball" right now and just loving this there are some weiner-like characteristics it seems like to this guy where he would rather be in the spotlight getting horrific publicity than not be in the spotlight at all. gloria, just a ten second response. >> he needs to put the people first. he needs to put the people of san diego first, and they have shown in every single poll that they want him out. the entire city council of san diego city wants him out, as

well as both of our united states senators, senator feinstein, senator boxer. >> gloria allred, thank you, as always. peggy shannon, thank you as well. >> thank you. >> we'll be back right after this. you must be garth's father? hello. mother. mother! traveling is easy with the venture card because you can fly any airline anytime. two words. double miles! this guy can act. wanna play dodge rock? oh, you guys! and with double miles you can actually use, you never miss the fun. beard growing contest and go! ♪ i win! what's in your wallet?

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let me finish tonight with a question. are you ready for some football? i'm not talking nfl. i mean epl, as in english premier league. see, tomorrow english football, soccer to us in the states, is

finally coming to the states. nbc has made a significant investment to bring top flight soccer to the united states for the next three years. a match tomorrow between liverpool and stoke city will commence the first of 380 regular season games that the nbc sports group will offer on a multitude of platforms. we're talking more than 1600 hours of annual programing. maybe you've seen jason sudeikis starring in a hilarious video promoting this launch, which already has more than four million youtube views. >> my name is ted lasso. i'm the new head coach for tottenham spurs. i've been brought over here to implement my coaching style. football is football no matter where you play it. you got grass, you got cleats and you got helmets with masks on. >> there have been occasions in the past where some have argued that the u.s. was at a tipping point and about to be smitten with soccer. i can remember the hype about pele's arrival when i was a kid, but it hasn't happened. this time i think it's going to

happen. friendly matches have drawn huge crowds in the united states. wherever i go in the states, i see merchandise being worn by premier league fans of all ages, and of course more kids are playing soccer here than ever before. another factor might be the shifting demographics of the country, which make us more like fans who have made this the most popular sport in the world. so here are a couple of the basics to get you started. the premier league features 20 teams who play each other twice in a season, once at home and once away. so there is parody in scheduling in the season that runs from august to may. teams get three points forrer a win, one for a tie. there is no super bowl. and whichever has the most points at the end of the year wins the championship. the top finishing teams get to go on and compete in the european championship ons league, and the bottom three teams, they're essentially sent to the minor leagues. get used to hearing names like wayne rooney, gareth bail and robin van percent it is. they also have colorful owners. their jerry jones, he owns

chelsea. in no time i predict will you will be loving or loathing manchester united. either way, i hope you enjoy the season. that's "hardball" for now. thank you for being with us, and thank you, chris, for allowing me this privilege this week. "politicsnation" with al sharpton starts right now. thanks, michael, and thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's lead, the gop's three-ring circus. today yet another sitting republican congressman is on the hook for embracing this hateful rodeo clown. who wore a president obama mask at the missouri state fair. congressman steve king tweeted, "mr. president, invite the rodeo clown to the white house for a beer summit. take the temperature down. have a laugh, relax. it's not about race." it's not about race.